The Beauty and the Mess

If John Mayer had been an office drone, the song would have gone "Why, Monday, why?"

For the most part, this weekend was pretty relaxing. It was the first one in a long time that wasn't planned out beforehand. I spent a good chunk of it sitting by the window with a glass of tea reading Eragon. I also took two long walks because the weather was beautiful. On Friday night Evan and I saw Miracle, which was great. It's hard to believe that was a real story! If someone had made it up, all the critics would have said it was cheesy and formulaic- the coach chasing down the dream he lost, the ragtag bunch of players becoming a team, the unlikely win. But it was all real. Wow! On Saturday night, we watched Lost In Translation with Ryan. My main reaction to it is still, "Huh." It's extremely artsy and unusual, and I'm sure there were many other layers of meaning that I didn't get. There were some scenes and themes that I didn't like, but overall it was an interesting movie.

Oh, and I also slept a lot this weekend. Which was good, since I was feeling a little emotionally unstable. On Sunday afternoon, I went outside to take pictures of the azaleas. Gandalf played in the stairwell, and when I was done, I put my camera in my pocket and carried him up the (carpeted) stairs. At the top of the landing, the camera fell out and down the stairs. I rushed down to get it, and when I tried to turn it on, the lens wouldn't move. Major freak-out time. I called Evan, crying that I had broken my camera. Once I collected myself, I tried it again and it worked. So I guess it's okay, but I was ashamed of myself for breaking down like that. Evan is so great. He's very patient and knows just how to deal with me. I'm so blessed that he continues to put up with me. :)

Sunday school was funny this week. Ashley was teaching and he'd had a rough work week, so we had a Bible quiz of sorts. In one trick section, the answers could be from the Bible or Lord of the Rings. I correctly identified Hasufel as a horse of Rohan and not a Bible character, and everyone was awed at my dorkiness. I told Ashley that my friends would be here next week and would expect a good lesson, so the pressure's on. :) Only four days until Jessica, Jonathan and Dania arrive! Can you believe it?

( Talking about myself in the third person. )

Sometimes my lack of ability in certain areas drives me crazy. Example: anything to do with the computer. Like this new icon. I use generic Photo Editor, the only image program I have, to make my icons, and it is not good. All it can do is shrink pictures to icon size, and it doesn't even do that well. Kathy just got a new print artist program, and I've been trying to work with that, but I can't ever tell if the pictures are the right size. Also, even though I have taken approximately 1672 pictures of myself since I got my digital camera, I have yet to come up with one that looks good and is good photo quality. (By the way, this is not a plea for any of you to make icons for me. I'm just venting because I want to make them myself. :P)

I realize that I have been negligent in posting pictures, now that the initial thrill of my camera has passed. So, per tingilya's request, here are pictures of some of my "better" scrapbook pages...

( La la la )

My camera has arrived! :) I went home for lunch, and there it sat in front of the door. I opened the box to make sure, but didn't take it out of the plastic or anything. I'll play with it tonight while we watch all our shows. Yay!

Lately I feel sort of...spiritually icky. Like the world has contaminated me. I'm noticing afresh how little time I spend thinking about God, and Godly things, and how much time I spend engrossed in books and TV and stuff. Those things aren't bad, but I always feel like I could be doing something more profitable. I think this is why I go to so many Bible studies- I can't seem to stay in a Godly mindset on my own. I need to be picked up and put back into the Word over and over again, like my cat, who repeatedly climbs onto the dining room table and has to be repeatedly picked up and set on the floor. Sometimes I want to move to Africa or someplace and do ministry, out in the middle of nowhere where I will have nothing else to do but serve God. That way I can't fritter away my life. I know I'm saved by faith and not works, but I am supposed to bear spiritual fruit. I want to be a light for Christ, but I don't know how or even if I am doing that in my life. I need direction. I need something to do, something I can get excited about. I have no idea what that could be.

Two related pieces of good news. Yesterday, after nine months of suffering and harassment, I finally got my tax refund in the mail! So today, I bought my digital camera! It's the same camera that Lawson has, so I know it's good. I am excited! Soon, I too will have visual aids in my entries. :)

Snow is on the way. Also exciting. :)

Common Sense Tip of the Day: When using bleach as a cleaning agent, dilute it with lots of water, instead of filling an entire empty spray bottle with it. Then, do not spray it all over your bathroom with the door closed (to prevent the cat from romping in poisonous fluids). Because you will end up coughing and miserable, with your head stuck out the window, letting a bunch of 35-degree air into the apartment in your attempt to breathe. *music* The More You Know...